The M1 Garand (officially the United States Rifle, Caliber .30, M1) was the first semi-automatic rifle to be generally issued to the infantry of any nation. Called "The Greatest Battle Implement Ever Devised" by General George S. Patton, the Garand officially replaced the bolt-action M1903 Springfield as the standard service rifle of the United States Armed Forces in 1936 and was subsequently replaced by the selective fire M14 in 1957. However, the M1 continued to be used in large numbers until 1963 and to a lesser degree until 1966.
The M1 was used heavily by U.S. forces in World War II, the Korean War, and, to a limited extent, the Vietnam War. Most M1 rifles were issued to Army and Marine troops, though many thousands were also lent or provided as foreign aid to America's allies. The Garand is still used by drill teams and military honor guards. It is also widely sought by the civilian population as a hunting rifle, target rifle, and military collectible. The name "Garand" is pronounced variously as /ɡəˈrænd/ or /ˈɡærənd/. According to experts and people who knew John Garand, the weapon's designer, the latter version is preferred.[4][5] It is now available to civilians in the original .30-06 chambering, as well as in .308 Winchester.
History
Though the U.S. Army became interested in self-loading rifles with the Bang and Murphy-Manning of 1911, and there were pre-production models in 1916,[6] the M1's origin properly dates to 1919, when armies around the world were realizing standard rifle cartridges were more powerful than necessary for typical engagement ranges, leading to heavier rifles than really required. The Army trials in the 1920s had a .256 inch minimum caliber requirement, compared to the .30-06 then standardDevelopment
Canadian born firearms designer John C. Garand, working at the Army's Springfield Armory, began with a .30 caliber primer-operated breech. Twenty-four rifles, identified as "M1922", were built at Springfield in the summer of 1924, and at Fort Benning during the summer of 1925 they were tested against models by Berthier, Hatcher-Bang, Thompson, and Pederson, the latter two delayed blowback types.[6] This led to a further trial of the improved "M1924" Garand against the Thompson, ultimately producing an inconclusive report.[6] Therefore, the Ordnance Board ordered a Garand variant .30-06, while in March 1927 the Cavalry Board reported trials between the Thompson, Garand, and '03 Springfield had not led to a clear winner, leading to a gas-operated .276 model.[6][nb 1]
During the spring of 1928, both Infantry and Cavalry Boards ran trials with the .276 Pedersen T1 rifle, calling it "highly promising"[6] (despite its use of waxed ammunition,[8] shared by the Thompson).[9] On 13 August 1928, a Semiautomatic Rifle Board carried out joint Army, Navy, and Marine Corps trials between the .30 Thompson, both cavalry and infantry versions of the T1 Pedersen, "M1924" Garand, and .256 Bang, and on 21 September, the Board reported no clear winner. The .30 Garand, however, was dropped in favor of the .276.[10]
Further tests by the SRB in July 1929, which included rifle designs by Browning, Colt-Browning, Garand, Holek, Pedersen, Rheinmetall, Thompson, and an incomplete one by White,[nb 2] led to a recommendation that work on the (dropped) .30 gas-operated Garand be resumed, and a T1E1 was ordered 14 November 1929.
Twenty gas-operated .276 T3E2s Garands were made and competed with T1 Pedersen rifles in Spring 1931. The .276 Garand was the clear winner of these trials. The .30 caliber Garand was also tested, in the form of a single T1E1, but was withdrawn with a cracked bolt on 9 October 1931. A 4 January 1932 meeting recommended adoption of the .276 caliber and production of approximately 125 T3E2s. Meanwhile, Garand redesigned his bolt and his improved T1E2 rifle was retested. The day after the successful conclusion of this test, Army Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur personally disapproved any caliber change, in part because there were extensive existing stocks of .30 M1 ball ammunition.[11] On 25 February 1932, Adjutant General John B. Shuman, speaking for the Secretary of War, ordered work on the rifles and ammunition in .276 caliber cease immediately and completely and all resources be directed toward identification and correction of deficiencies in the Garand .30 caliber.[12]
On 3 August 1933, the T1E2 became the Semi-Automatic Rifle, Caliber 30, M1.[6] In May 1934, 75 M1s went to field trials; 50 were to infantry, 25 to cavalry units.[13] Numerous problems were reported, forcing the rifle to be modified, yet again, before it could be recommended for service and cleared for procurement on 7 November 1935, then standardized 9 January 1936.[6] The first production model was successfully proof-fired, function-fired, and fired for accuracy on July 21, 1937.[14]
Production difficulties delayed deliveries to the Army until September 1937. By September 1939, Springfield Armory had reached an output of 100 per day. Despite going into production status, design issues were not at an end. The barrel, gas cylinder, and front sight assembly were redesigned and entered production in early 1940. Existing "gas-trap" rifles were recalled and retrofitted mirroring problems with the earlier M1903 Springfield rifle that also had to be recalled and reworked approximately three years into production and foreshadowing rework of the M16 rifle at a similar point in its development. Production of the Garand increased in 1940 despite these difficulties,[15] reaching 600 a day by 10 January 1941,[6] and the Army was fully equipped by the end of 1941
Service use
Following the outbreak of World War II in Europe, Winchester was awarded an "educational" production contract for 65,000 rifles,[6] with deliveries beginning in 1943.[6] The British Army tested the M1 as a possible replacement for its bolt-action Lee-Enfield No.1 Mk III, but rejected it.[17][18]
Much of the M1 inventory in the post-World War II period underwent arsenal repair or rebuilding. While U.S. forces were still engaged in the Korean War, the Department of Defense determined a need for additional production of the Garand, and two new contracts were awarded. During 1953-56, M1s were produced by International Harvester and Harrington & Richardson.[22] A final, very small lot of M1s was produced by Springfield Armory in early 1957, using finished components already on hand. Beretta also produced Garands using Winchester tooling.
The M1 proved an excellent rifle throughout its service in World War II and the Korean War. Surplus M1 rifles also armed many nations allied to the USA postwar, including West Germany, Italy and Japan. Some Garands were still being used in the Vietnam War in 1963; despite the M14's official adoption in 1957, it was not until 1965 the changeover from the M1 Garand was completed in the active-duty component of the Army (with the exception of the sniper variants, which were introduced in World War II and saw action in Korea and Vietnam). In other components of the armed forces, such as the Army Reserve, Army National Guard and the Navy, Garands continued to serve into the 1970s or longer.
Some military drill teams still use the M1, including the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Team, the Norwegian Royal Guards Drill Team, the United States Air Force Academy Cadet Honor Guard[23], almost all Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and some Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) teams of all branches of the US military. The Greek Army Evzones (presidential) Guard still uses M1s and it was used as a training rifle in the Greek army even in the late 90's.
Design details
Garand's rifle was originally chambered for the .276 Pedersen cartridge,[25] charged by means of 10-round clips. Later, it was chambered for the then-standard .30-06 Springfield. With this new cartridge, the M1 had a maximum effective range of 440 yards (400 m), with the capability of inflicting a casualty with armor-piercing ammunition well beyond 875 yards (800 m). Because of the larger diameter of the .30-06 cartridge, the modified magazine held only eight rounds.
[edit] Features
The rifle's ability to rapidly fire powerful .30-06 rifle ammunition also proved to be of considerable advantage in combat. In China, Japanese banzai charges had previously met with frequent success against poorly-trained Chinese soldiers armed with bolt-action rifles. Armed with the M1, US infantrymen were able to sustain a much higher rate of fire than their Chinese counterparts. In the short-range jungle fighting, where opposing forces sometimes met each other in column formation on a narrow path, the penetration of the powerful .30-06 M2 cartridge enabled a single U.S. infantryman to kill up to three Japanese soldiers with a single round.[26]
Ejection of an empty clip created a distinctive metallic "pinging" sound.[27] In World War II, reports arose in which German and Japanese infantry were making use of this noise in combat to alert them to an empty M1 rifle in order to 'get the drop' on their American enemies. The information was taken seriously enough that U.S. Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground began experiments with clips made of various plastics in order to soften the sound, though no improved clips were ever adopted.[28]
The M1 Garand was one of the first self-loading rifles to use stainless steel for its gas cylinder, in an effort to prevent corrosion. As the stainless metal could not be parkerized, these gas cylinders were given a stove-blackening that frequently wore off in use. Unless the cylinder could be quickly repainted, the resultant gleaming muzzle could make the M1 Garand and its user more visible to the enemy in combat.[26] The M1 Garand was designed for simple assembly and disassembly to facilitate field maintenance. It can be field stripped (broken down) without tools
Operation
Once the clip is inserted, the bolt snaps forward on its own as soon as pressure is released from the clip, chambering a round and leaving it ready to fire.[30][31] It is advisable for the operator to ride the bolt forward with his hand (in order to prevent the bolt from closing on his thumb, resulting in "Garand thumb" or "M1 thumb"), and to strike the operating rod handle with his palm to ensure the bolt is closed.[31][32]
The M1's safety is located at the front of the trigger guard. It is engaged when it is pressed rearward into the trigger guard, and disengaged when it is pushed forward and is protruding outside of the trigger guard.[32] Contrary to widespread misconception, partially expended or full clips can be easily ejected from the rifle by means of the clip latch button.[32] It is also possible to load single cartridges into a partially loaded clip while the clip is still in the magazine, but this requires both hands and a bit of practice. In reality, this procedure was rarely performed in combat, as the danger of loading dirt along with the cartridges increased the chances of malfunction, instead, it was much easier and quicker to simply manually eject the clip, and insert a fresh one,[33] which is how the rifle was originally designed to be operated.[26][28][31] Later, special clips holding two or five rounds became available on the civilian market, as well as a single-loading device which stays in the rifle when the bolt locks back.
In battle, the manual of arms called for the rifle to be fired until empty, and then recharged quickly. Due to the well-developed logistical system of the U.S. military at the time, this wastage of ammunition was generally not critical, though this could change in the case of units that came under intense fire or were flanked or surrounded by enemy forces.[26] The Garand's en-bloc clip system proved particularly cumbersome when using the rifle to launch grenades, requiring removal of an often partially loaded clip of ball ammunition and replacement with a full clip of blank cartridges.
It is recommended that very slow burning powders and heavy bullets not be used in the Garand. This is an issue especially important to handloaders, as the pressure curve of slower propellants can put too much pressure on the gas piston, bend the operating rod, and adversely affect the Garand's accuracy. The Garand is best used with bullets of about 150 grains weight, as in "Ball, Caliber 30, M2" ammunition.
Accessories
Both official and aftermarket accessories were plentiful for the Garand rifle. Several different styles of bayonets fit the rifle: the M1905 and M1942, both with 16-inch (406 mm) blades; the Model 1905E1 with shortened 10-inch (254 mm) blade; the M1 with 10-inch (254 mm) blade; and the M5 bayonet with 6.75-inch (152 mm) blade.Also available was the M7 grenade launcher that fitted onto the end of the barrel.[34] It was sighted using the M15 sight, which fit just forward of the trigger. A cleaning tool, oiler and greasepots could be stored in two cylindrical compartments in the buttstock for use in the field. Because of the limitations of the Garand's clip-loading magazine, the rifle proved less than ideal for use in launching 22 mm rifle grenades, and the M1903 Springfield was retained for use in that role long after grenade launchers for the Garand became available.
The M1907 two-piece leather rifle sling was the most common type of sling used with the weapon through World War II. In 1943 a khaki canvas sling was introduced that gradually became more common.[35] Another accessory was the winter trigger, said to have been developed during the Korean War. It consisted of a small mechanism installed on the trigger guard, allowing the soldier to remotely pull the trigger by depressing a lever just behind the guard. This enabled the shooter to fire his weapon while using winter gloves, which could get "stuck" on the trigger guard or not allow for proper movement of the finger.
Variants
The procedure required to install the M1C-type mounts through drilling/tapping the hardened receiver was inefficient in terms of tooling and time. This resulted in the development of the M1D, which utilized a simpler, single-ring Springfield Armory mount.[37] The M1C and M1D first began to be widely used during the Korean War. The U.S. Marine Corps adopted the M1C as their official sniper rifle in 1951. The U.S. Navy has also used the Garand, rechambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO round.
The T26 arose from requests by various Army combat commands for a shortened version of the standard M1 rifle for use in jungle or mobile warfare. In July 1945 Col. William Alexander, former staff officer for Gen. Simon Buckner and a new member of the Pacific Warfare Board,[38] requested urgent production of 15,000 carbine-length M1 rifles for use in the Pacific theater.[39][40][41][42] To emphasize the need for rapid action, he requested the Ordnance arm of the U.S. 6th Army in the Philippines to make up 150 18" barreled M1 rifles for service trials, sending another of the rifles by special courier to U.S. Army Ordnance officials at Aberdeen as a demonstration that the M1 could be easily modified to the new configuration.[39][41][43][44] Although the T26 was never approved for production, at least one 18" barreled M1 rifle was used in action in the Philippines by troopers in the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment (503rd PIR).[44]
During the 1950s, Beretta produced Garands in Italy at the behest of NATO, by having the tooling used by Winchester during World War II shipped to them by the US government. These rifles were designated Model 1952 in Italy, and eventually led to variants of their own, the best known of these being the BM59 series.
The M1 Garand became the standard U.S. service rifle in 1936, but the former standard M1903 Springfield continued in use. The M1903A4 model Springfield was a bolt action sniper rifle that remained in use for years due to its superior performance. The U.S. rifle M1C or M1D (Sniper's) is the standard U.S. rifle M1 with telescope M81, M82, or M84 mounted on the receiver and a cheek pad laced to the stock. The cone shaped flash hider M2 or prong flash hider T37 is furnished as an accessory with the M1C and M1D models. The 1952 Marine version of the M1C had a different scope and flash hider. The M1C and M1D sniper versions of the M1 Garand were standardized in 1944. The M1C was used late in World War II and was the main sniper weapon for the U.S. Army in Korea. Few M1D models were produced before the end of World War II. Many standard M1s were converted to M1D during the Korean War, but few made it to that war. During the early years of the Vietnam War, the M1D was the official U.S. Army sniper rifle until it was replaced in the mid-1960s by the M-21 7.62mm Sniper Rifle.
Descendants
The M1 Garand was the direct predecessor of the M14 rifle, which replaced it. The Japanese began development of a modified copy of the Garand, the Type 5 Rifle, near the end of World War II, though it never reached production status.[45] During the 1950s, Beretta developed the BM59 series of rifles, which would also be produced under license in Indonesia as the "SP" series. Ruger produced the Mini-14 rifle, which utilizes a reduced-size operating system and a different gas system. The Mini-14 looks like the M-14, but is chambered for the smaller .223 cartridge.[46]Despite similarities in naming, there is no relationship between the M1 rifle and the M1 carbine, other than a similar rotating bolt design. Additional confusion can arise from the development of several other weapon systems, "M" being an abbreviation for Model, such as the M1 submachine gun and M1 tank.
Civilian use
A recent effort by the South Korean government to sell nearly a million antique M1 rifles was approved by the Obama administration, but the administration reversed course and banned the sale in March. A State Department spokesman said the administration's decision was based on concerns that the guns could fall into the wrong hands, although the M1 Garand and M1 Carbine are semi-automatic firearms already legal for purchase in the United States.
Military surplus Garands and post-war copies made for the civilian market are popular among enthusiasts around the world
Users
Argentina: Received about 30,000 M1s from the US government before 1964. Some were converted to accept BM59 magazines in the 1960s.[49]
Brazil: Received large numbers of M1s from the US government in the early 1950s. Some were converted to the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge and to accept FN FAL magazines.[49]
Cambodia: Received M1 rifles from the US government.[50]
Denmark - Received 69,810 M1 rifles (designated "Gevær m/50") from the US government prior to 1964. Some were converted to the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge.[51] Also purchased 20,000 M1s from Italy.[52] The rifle has now been phased out of service.
Ethiopia: Received 20,700 M1 rifles from the US government in the 1960s.[51]
France - Used by the Foreign Legion and Free French Forces.[53][54] France also received 232,500 M1 rifles from the US government in 1950-1964.[51]
West Germany: Received 46,750 M1 rifles from the US government prior to 1965.[51]
Greece: Received 186,090 M1 and 1880 M1C/M1D rifles from the US government prior to 1975.[51] Still in use for ceremonial duties by the Presidential Guard.
Indonesia: Received between 55,000 and 78,000 M1s and a minor number of M1Cs from the US government prior to 1971; some rifles also supplied from Italy.[49]
Iran: Received 165,490 M1 rifles from the US government prior to 1964.[51]
Israel: Received up to 60,000 M1 rifles from the US government prior to 1975.[51]
Italy: Used by the army from 1945. Beretta license-built 100,000 M1s from 1950 until the adoption of the BM59 in 1959.[52] Also received 232,000 M1s from the US government between 1950 and 1970.[49]
Jordan: Received an estimated 25,000-30,000 M1 rifles from the US government prior to 1974.[51]
Japan: A number were manufactured by Howa for the Japan Self-Defense Forces after World War II.[55]
Laos: Received 36,270 M1 rifles from the US government in 1950-1975.[51]
Norway: Received 72,800 M1 rifles from the US government prior to 1964.[51]
Pakistan: Received possibly 150,000 M1 rifles from the US government prior to 1975.[51]
Paraguay: Received 30,750 M1 rifles from the US government prior to 1975.[51]
Philippines: Received 34,300 M1 and 2630 M1D rifles from the US government in 1950-1975.[51]
Saudi Arabia: Received 34,530 M1 rifles from the US government prior to 1975.[51]
South Korea: Received 296,450 of M1 rifles from the US government in 1964-1974.[51]
South Vietnam: Received 220,300 M1 and 520 M1C/M1D rifles from the US government in 1950-1975.[51]
Thailand: Received about 40,000 M1 rifles from the US government prior to 1965..[51]
Turkey: Received 312,430 M1 rifles from the US government in 1953-1970.[51]
United States: Standard issue rifle of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force from 1936 to 1963. Still in use for official military ceremonies and ROTC units.
Venezuela: Received 55,670 M1 rifles from the US government prior to 1975.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar